Myraneth Accolte: The Tale of Three Brothers
by JennaGreenleaf
Summary: This is the sequel to my 'reading myraneth accolte' Everyone is going to see Roshan, but upon arrival, disaster strikes and old grudges come to the surface. The three brothers: Diego, Oscar, and Soto. I don't own anything but my OC's and the story line!
1. Prologue

Prologue: Roshan

A young human, almost seven winters old, sat on a hilltop with his father.

"Every day, we look to the east, Roshan." Runar told the boy.

"Why, Father?"

"Because that's the way She went. We are waiting for Her to return."

"Who's She?"

"Our _Myraneth Accolte_. A girl of immeasurable power."

"What's Her name, Father?"

The man paused, "Her name is Alice. And She and Her friends saved your life."

This was the first time Roshan had heard his savior's name. _Alice_. The name was foreign to him. But he strained his memory, hard.

The name brought three others to the forefront of his mind. Manny. Sid. Diego. He remembered a glowing face with bright eyes.

Bright violet eyes.

As far as Roshan knew, his mother hadn't had violet eyes.


	2. A Little Bit of Childishness

1

My son and daughter, Aryl and Hunter, were half-grown when we left the valley where most of the children had spent most or all of their lives. The procession went as follows: Crash and Eddie settled in their sister's coat. Manny, Ellie, and Peaches led the group. Melly was settled on her father's back, as she was only three months old. Next came Leah and Diego and their young cubs, JD (Jasper Diego), Ally (Allyson), and Sarah. Sidney (Sid) the sloth waddled behind them, with his mate, Ember. Ember was expecting, and although she was only two months or so along, her green belly was bulging. Buck sauntered along beside Diego and Leah. The herd's newest additions, Aspen's mate Garrett and his daughter, Garnett, came next with Aspen herself and James, Bethany (Beth), and Travis. Derek, my mate, was talking animatedly to Garrett. They were becoming fast friends. I was the trailer, watching our backs. Our herd was huge, and all of us, especially the young ones, were targets for predators.

Being a mom has mellowed me.

Yah, right!

Right now, we're doing about the most reckless thing we've done since it was just the original four of us.

We were going to see Roshan, the human child we had saved many years ago. I didn't know if Runar, Roshan's Father, would recognize me.

Everyone kept telling me that I would be recognized. I was their _Myraneth Accolte_, their wild girl who runs with wolves.

Truthfully, I was nervous, though.

I mean, that was a few years ago. I had been only sixteen when I had given birth to Aryl and Hunter. I was now almost twenty years old.

And I was different. Not much different, mind you, but different enough that Diego, Manny, and Sid noticed it.

When Aryl had come to us, saying that they had read a book on my first Ice Age adventure, I had been happy. It meant that I didn't have to tell them myself. Cowardly, I know, but still.

We headed towards Glacier Pass. That was where at least one of the human's settlements was.

Near twilight on the first day, Diego dropped back to my side.

"So," he said, "How do you like Ember?"

"She's good for Sid. She can be kind of ditsy at times, but she's a gentle soul. As Sid once said to Manny, she completes him."

"You know, that's exactly what I thought you would say."

"Well, I don't call you my brother for nothing. Although, we really can't be related."

"Oh, yah? And why's that?"

"Because I'm too smart for you!" I laughed, and took off running. Di took off right after me.

Dashing in between them, I got an indignant "Mum!" from Aryl and Hunter.

"Alice, I thought you were watching our backs!" Manny cried.

"Oh, come on, Manny. Loosen up!"

"And I thought she was more mature than this," Manny whispered to Ellie. Peaches giggled.

"I heard that, Manfred Steelsoul! I'll have you know, being a mom has mellowed me!" Oh, Mother Goddess, was it ever hard to say that with a straight face!

The entire herd burst out laughing in unison. Garrett, Garnett, and Ember looked a bit confused, but Leah explained, "The words 'mellow' and 'Alice' don't even belong in the same sentence."

"Yaha, Leah! You've gone senile in your old age!"

"Oh, you little twerp! I'm two days younger than you!"

"Why are you calling me a twerp? Set an example for your kids!"

"Oh, like you are?" She pounced, pinning me to the ground.

I grinned up at her, "My kids are so much older. They're a lot less impressionable." In her shock, I managed to push her off of me.

She recovered quickly, "Yah, and you _so_ weren't like this when Airy and Hunter were the triplet's age, Myraneth!"

"Well, they turned out good!" I shot back.

Derek got between us. Not a good idea on his part, "Alice, Leah, I've known you both since we were six years old, and I can tell you that this is the most pointless argument you've ever had."

"Yah, Derek? What about the argument you had with Leah about soap?"

"Alice, that was years ago! I can't even believe you still remember that!"

"What did you say that day? Oh, yah, 'soap is not good to eat.' And then Leah said, "Why did you try to eat soap?' and it was all down hill from there."

I felt a trunk drape around me. Manny. I looked to Derek and saw that he had Ellie's trunk around him, and Leah was in Aspen's Mammoth clutches.

"And it all goes down hill from here." I muttered.

"Okay, children, play nice." The cow mammoth that had Leah said playfully.

"Manny, you can let go of me now."

"Only if you promise to set a better example."

"Oh, sorry, Steelsoul, but I can't promise that."

"Stop calling me Steelsoul, Shadowpaw."

"Why are you calling me Shadowpaw?"

"Alice, just end it!" Diego said.


	3. Garrett and The Meeting

2

That night, we made a fire and gathered around it. Ember fell asleep quickly with Sid, and most of the kids were piled almost one on top of the other, dead to the world. Garnett was on the bottom, as she was the oldest.

I smiled. Garrett and Garnett had integrated so well into our herd. But sometimes it felt like with all my mum duties, it hardly ever gave me time to spare to talk to anyone. I really didn't know Ember or Garrett that well. Aspen and I were friends, but it felt like we were next-door neighbors who liked each other but didn't talk often.

I looked around at everyone. Most of the herd was asleep, also. My eyes met sad grey eyes.

"Garrett? Why aren't you asleep?"

"Why aren't you, Alice?"

"Sid's not snoring tonight. I've grown used to sleeping with his snoring."

"Nice. How long have you been with the herd?"

"Did you not know? I joined the herd the day after Manny, Sid, and Diego met. I've been with the herd from the beginning."

"Wow"

"I've been meaning to ask you. How do you like the herd?"

"It's different. After Megan…well, I'm happy with Aspen. I never thought I would be happy again. And Garnett adores everyone here. She adores you."

"She's an amazing girl. And Aryl loves her. Hey, if you ever need to talk, we're all here. I think every single one of us has experienced a loss sometime in their life. We're a motley bunch."

"Really? Everyone?"

"Yah. My parents died when I was ten, Sid was abandoned by his family, Manny lost his first mate and son, Ellie was raised by possums, for goodness sake's! Leah and I stopped being friends for a few years, Aspen lost her first mate and the father of her babies, Derek almost lost me when I gave birth to the twins, and Buck lost his mind," I giggled a bit, "Oh, yah, and Diego lost his half-brother in a fight. Actually, it was me who killed him."

"You! You really don't look like someone who would take another's life, except to eat."

"I don't regret it. Soto was very close to killing the rest of us. And he tried to kill Roshan. That's the kid who we're going to meet."

Garrett glanced at the sky, "Midnight on a full moon. The best time of the month. What do you say to going and getting breakfast while we're up?"

I stood, trying not to jostle Derek, "That sounds wonderful."

We bounded off together in the half-darkness. I had just gotten another brother.

It began to rain after breakfast that morning. We trekked on. Soon, all of us Shifters ended up as mammoths, carrying the children.

Aryl settled contently into my fur, Hunter beside her. Crash and Eddie jumped all over the twins and me.

"Crash, Eddie, stop it!" I cried, "Go jump on Diego."

Crash laughed, "Diego would hurt us if we jumped on him. You, on the other hand, wouldn't hurt a fly unless it tried to hurt your family first!" That's when my trunk hit him in the head.

"Crash, you should know better than to antagonize Alice," Derek said, "She can be scary."

"Can be scary?" I exclaimed. I glared at him and he backed down.

"See, that's my point!"

"Der, if I wasn't carrying our son and daughter, then you'd be dead right now."

"Death threats, now, Alice?" Leah and Ellie chuckled.

I growled at them all and then trumpeted lightly.

For two days we walked at a steady pace. At twilight on the second day, the village came into view. I tasted the air.

"It's the right village. I can smell Runar and Roshan. We'll camp here tonight, and enter the village by day."

The next day, I entered the village alone. Speaking in their tongue came naturally to me, like speaking to anyone else or even Scrat, the saber-toothed squirrel.

Stopping one woman, I asked, "I am looking for Runar. Can you tell me where he is?"

She nodded, "I shall send for him for you. Who shall I announce?"

"Tell him Alesandra is here to see him. If he does not recognize the name, tell him Alice or Myraneth. Thank you."

She walked off, and came back a few minutes later with a man and a young boy.

"Myraneth Accolte? Alice, is it really you?"

"Yes, Runar, it is I. And this charming boy is Roshan, am I correct?"

"Yes. To what do we owe this pleasure?"

"My herd wished to meet you and the child we saved. I must warn you, we have grown quite a bit since you last saw us."

"By all means, bring them out. Roshan would be delighted."

"Come on, guys!" I called

Diego, Manny, and Sid came first. They stopped in a line. Then Ellie, Melly, Ember, Buck, and Peaches joined them. Garrett and Garnett came next, and then all of the shifters (in their human forms).

"Runar, this is Diego, Manny, and Sid. They were part of the original herd. That's Manny's mate, Ellie, and their daughters, Peaches and Melly. Garrett and Garnett are the two other sabers. The humans are my sisters Leah and Aspen, my mate Derek, and my daughter Aryl and son Hunter. There is also Leah and Diego's children, Allyson, Sarah, and JD, and Aspen's kids, James, Travis, and Bethany. The possums are Crash and Eddie. They're Ellie's brothers—long story. The green sloth is Ember, Sid's mate, and the one-eyed weasel is Buck."

Runar and Roshan stared in shock. Then Roshan broke the silence, "Father! It's my mammoth! The one from my dreams!"

"His mammoth?" Manny muttered, then stopped short, "How can he talk?"

"I can talk to animals," Roshan said, "I think it is the same magic that makes Myraneth Accolte a shape shifter."

In unison, all of the other shifters shifted to their saber forms.

"And, apparently, all of you, too."

"Please Roshan, just call me Alice. This Myraneth Accolte is too much of a mouthful."

"Yes, Alice. Can I play with the other children?"

"Of course you may, Roshan. They would love the opportunity to get to know you."

Aryl ran up to Roshan. She and Hunter were almost his height, "Hi, Roshan, I'm Aryl, but everyone calls me Airy. That's my twin brother Hunter. Alice is our mother. That's Beth, Travis, and James, JD, Sarah, and Allyson. We call Allyson Ally, though. And then there's also Garnett. And Peaches and Melly. Come on, let's go!"

I watched the children run off together. It looked like complete chaos, a blur of black, silver, gold, brown, and many other colours.

I went to sleep that night content. Roshan was okay. Runar was okay. I was okay. My herd was okay.

Oh, how very wrong I was.


	4. Catastrophe

3

"In my dreams, there was always a Mammoth, a Sloth, and a Saber and Alice," Roshan told Aryl. The others were asleep around the campfire in his village, "Daddy never told me your mum's name until yesterday. He said, everyday we look to the east, because that is the way that She went."

"Mommy told us a bit about you. She never said your name, but Hunter and I knew you were special to her. Everybody in our herd is special to her. My earliest memory of her is a glowing smile. I see it almost everyday."

"You're lucky to have both parents, Airy. I wish my mum was still alive."

"My mum said your mum was a strong, brave woman. She said that rather than give you over to uncle Diego's old pack, she jumped off a cliff to the small chance that you would survive, even if she didn't."

"Thank you for telling me, Air."

"Shhh, Roshan, did you hear something?"

"No"

"There it is again!" This time Roshan heard it. A low rustling in the bushes, the sound of claws on rock and soil, "Hunter, wake up!" Aryl whispered.

Hunter's reply was a groggy, "Whagoinon?"

"There's somebody here! Get Garnett and James and Trav and Beth. Tell them to be quiet and get the triplets and Melly. See if Beth can't wake Peaches."

Hunter relayed the message, and soon everyone was awake and wary.

All of a sudden, Aryl gave a blood-curdling scream. Something had launched itself at her, digging its claws through her flesh and into the muscle underneath. Her shoulder and back were on fire, and she collapsed in a moaning heap. A golden feline stood over her.

"Aryl!" Hunter cried, "MUM!" He was rewarded by a swift slap to the face. Another saber, female this time, was almost on top of him.

"One more word and your pretty little friend gets it!" She hissed in a coarse voice. Her partner stood on top of Aryl, surveying the children.

"You'll never get us! Our family will come!"

Six more sabers slunk out of the bushes.

"D'ya wanna repeat tha', kid?" Another male hissed.

"Silence, Zeke," The leader turned to them, "If you make a single sound, the girl dies." He jabbed his muzzle at Aryl. He took a razor sharp claw and dragged it across her face, drawing blood.

"Get your filthy paws off of her!" Garnett hissed.

_Airy, I'm sorry, but this is our only chance._ Roshan thought. He bellowed at the top of his lungs, "HELP!"

Another large female swiped at his ankle, and he crumpled.

"Roshan!" Travis whisper-screamed. He cried out as another cat scratched at him.

"Move it!" The saber said. The cousins were herded away, the eight sabers on their heels.

"Leave her!" The leader indicated Aryl, "She'll die anyway."

Two football fields away, Manny woke with Ellie. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Alice was on sentry duty. At least, she was. She was now unconscious in a puddle of her own blood.

"Alice!" The bull mammoth trumpeted loudly, awaking the entire camp, except for the bleeding lump that was one of his best friends.

"Lissy!" Derek cried.

Alice stirred, "Manny?"

"What Alice? Are you alright?"

"Did one of your daughters run me over?"

"I was going to ask you the same question."

"'M fine, 'm fine," She bolted straight upright.

I bolted upright. Aryl! I'd heard her scream when I had been hit by whatever had hit me. I scented the air. Tigers. I took off running, towards where the children had been sleeping.

Everyone followed.

I screamed. My daughter was lying in a pile of disproportionate cub limbs. She wasn't breathing.

She was dead.

"ARYL!" I yelled. I didn't feel anything. I was cold, so cold.

Aspen rushed to Aryl. The circlet that I had given her was matted with blood.

I fell to my knees.

"Come on Aryl, breathe!" Aryl and Aspen were human, and Aspen was giving her CPR.

Thirty seconds passed.

A minute.

Ninety seconds.

Two minutes.

I didn't even register the gasp that sounded.

"Alice!" Someone cried as though from far off. I was cold. The usual fire in me was gone.

"Alice!" The voice again. What did they want?

"ALESANDRA ANASTASIA KENDRA DAKOTA MITCHELL!" Somebody slapped me.

"She's alive, Alice! Aryl's going to be alright!"

What? But there was so much blood.

"Go to her, Lissy, she needs her Mother." Derek. I made my way over to my daughter.

She looked up at me through glassy pain-filled eyes. My eyes, and my Mother's eyes.

"Mommy," She breathed, "The sabers, they took Hunter and everyone. Hunter's so scared! He wants to know when you're coming. You have to go to him!"

"It will be alright, _Myraneth Accolte Elleth_. I will find them." I changed to human. I turned to Diego, "Go after them. Follow while the trail is still fresh. I'll catch up once Aryl is okay."


	5. Three Insane Brothers

Aryl let out a little whimper.

The woman who I had stopped yesterday approached me, "Come now, child. Bring her here. I am the village healer."

I gathered my daughter in my arms. The ground where she had lay was stained with her blood.

"I am San," The healer said as she led us to her tent.

"Alice."

"Lay her down. She will live once we stop the bleeding. But she will not be alright."

"Why not?"

"She needs the one you call Hunter. Their souls are birds of a feather, to say."

I muttered, "Yes, I understand." I did. I knew how close Aryl and Hunter were. They were closer to each other than they were to Derek and me.

"She also needs her Father," San continued, "You must go after your son. Your mate must stay with your daughter."

"But Derek could be miles away by now!"

San pursed her thin lips, "He is right outside the tent."

Derek came in through the flap, "Go find Hunter," he said, "I'll stay with Aryl."

"You are amazing, Derek, have I ever told you that?"

"Yes, I believe you have."

"And modest, too."

Derek chuckled darkly, "Go bring back our babies, _Myraneth Accolte_."

_Call me a sinner_

_Call me a saint_

_Tell me its over_

_I'll still love you the same_

I hit the ground running. Full out, flat out, a ground-eating gallop. My midnight coat blurred with speed. I was a bullet. I'd never gone that fast in my life. But my son's life was in the balance. And my daughter's. My babies needed me.

And I needed them.

"Alice!" Leah cried, spotting me, "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like, Leah? I'm going after my son! Now are you coming, or what?"

A silver mare and chestnut mare joined me. Leah and Aspen.

"We'll meet up with you. We'll scout ahead!" I called.

"Go!" Manny and Runar cried.

Our strides ate up the ground like it was nothing. The world was still in sharp focus, and we noticed every little detail. We followed a slow trickle of human blood—Roshan's, we thought—until we reached a group of eight sabers and our children.

"We need a plan." I muttered.

"How's about we wait for everyone else?"

"No, that'll take too long. Look at Roshan. He needs help."

"Okay then, go as dinosaurs?"

"That might work, but we might trample the kids."

"Mammoths?"

"Too big. Leah, you're the best at sneaking. Sneak in as a possum. Go to Travis."

"Trav?"

"He's the one least likely to freak out."

Aspen nodded, "Try and get Melly out of there, too. She must be so scared."

The sabers had finally stopped. For this, Roshan was grateful. His ankle hurt something awful. Hunter was stumbling along almost blindly beside him, blood running down his face. He wasn't complaining at all, though. Travis was laying on Garnett's back. He had fallen unconscious a little while back. Trav was almost fully grown, and Garnett was having some trouble.

"Leave the boy and the baby. We don't need them holding us back." The leading saber called to his pack.

They were forced onwards, leaving Melly sniffling against Travis' unmoving body. It hurt more than his ankle did.

Well, that idea went over well. _Not._ They had moved on by the time Leah got to them.

The good news: They left Melly and Travis. And Diego, Garrett, Manny, Runar, Ellie, Crash, Eddie, and Sid had caught up with us. Ember had stayed behind.

"Melly!" Ellie cried, wrapping her trunk around her youngest daughter.

"MUMMY!" Melly sobbed. They were both in tears.

Aspen was in tears, too.

The bad news: Travis was unconscious and bleeding from a wound on his flank.

"Ellie, Aspen, take Melly and Travis back to the village," Manny directed, "We'll get the rest."

I raced on blindly—almost. My Hunter was being held against his will. Who did they think they were, taking my baby?

James crawled over to Roshan and Hunter. Beth was right behind him.

"Hunt, I think they're after you and Roshan." He whispered.

"Why do you think that?" Peaches asked quietly.

"Remember what Aunt Alice said. She killed that guy who was trying to kill Roshan when he was a baby. They already think Aryl is dead. A son for a leader."

"That's actually quite smart, James," JD, Ally, and Sarah said in unison, "But why do they have us, too?" Ally continued.

James thought for a second, "All of us are shifters, except Peaches, but you're a mammoth, Peaches. They could want us for meat. All of us as mammoths would sustain them for a long time."

"Then why did they leave Melly?"

"She's really young. She wouldn't have been able to keep up."

"Well, how are we going to get out of here?" Hunter asked.

"We'll wait for an opportunity, then bolt." Garnett spoke up for the first time.

"Yah, great plan Garnett. 'Cept for the fact that Rosh can't walk."

Roshan loved the fact that all of the children had already accepted him.

"Our parents are behind us. I know they are." Beth mumbled.

"We can't always rely on our parents to get us out of everything. We have to start doing things for ourselves."

"Oh, come on, JD, you're not even half-grown! None of us are!" Peaches exclaimed quietly.

"Silence!" The leading Tiger bellowed, "You will be silent, or you will die."

Hunter thought of something. They'd all used telepathy before, but not when they were in forms that could already talk. It was worth a shot, though. He had to try. They had to get a message to the rest of the herd.

The leading tiger paced in a circle. His pack sat around him, guarding the children. He was out for revenge.

Oscar had been Soto's third almost six years previously. He had hated being under the stuck-up second, Diego. He always knew there was something wrong with that Tiger. Diego was his second brother, but after Diego's 'friend', Alice, had killed Soto, he had renounced Diego as family.

Diego—and his freak-of-nature mate, Leah (what kind of a name was that?) and children, Allyson, Sarah, and Jasper Diego (There was no way the boy deserved to carry Oscar's father's name)—were now prey in Oscar's eyes.

Oscar's cousins came up to him. Zeke, scrawny as ever, and Lenny, who had thinned out quite a lot in the past few years. They had been lean in terms of food, to say the least.

"Carlotta is getting restless." Lenny said.

Oscar cursed under his breath. Females! He hadn't had to deal with them for years, and now he had to deal with his seven female cousins. Carlotta and her sister Charlotte, and their cousins Ariel, Ariella, Athenadora, Artemis, and the odd one out, Adrianna. Adrianna wasn't related to any of them. She had been integrated into the pack a few months back. Adrianna was special. She had albino fur, instead of the traditional gold, and white eyes rimmed with pale blue. Carlotta hated her with passion, but all the others loved her.

"Tell her we leave at first light, and I suggest she get some rest."

"Yes, Oscar." Lenny left.

"What do you need, Zeke?" The twitchy saber had been unnaturally still for a few minutes.

"How do we know whose kid is whose?"

"The human is the human. The gold ones are the traitor's. The black one is the murderer's. The other ones, I don't care about. They are just there for meals."

"If you say so, Oscar."

We stalked them quietly.

Diego was beside me. It was just like back when there was only Sid, Manny, him and me. We'd hunt together, split up and drive prey into a corner. It was an elaborate strategy, normally used only for Mammoth hunting, but it served its purpose for just the two of us. Then when Derek came, Diego got jealous. I think he may have had some romantic interest in me, once upon a time. I was the only other rouge saber-type-thing around.

I was so glad that he found Leah.

It was so different now, though. There were so many of us now, we were all pared up compatibly. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Leah and Garrett. On our left was Manny and Runar, and Crash and Eddie.

I had grown up with Leah and Derek, but no siblings. But Leah was my sister. I was so happy when I found out that Aryl would have a brother that would be so close to her, closer to her than anyone else on Earth. I had to get my son back.

In some ways, I know I am the luckiest girl in the world. And that would only change if I lost my Hunter.

I decided something, right then and their.

"Everyone, circle! Fall in!" I said quietly.

"Alice, in case you haven't realized, our babies are in there!" Leah hissed.

I ignored her, "Abandon plan A," I told them, "We'll do plan Delta."

Diego recoiled, "That desperate? Plan Delta could kill us all!"

"Alice, see sense! There are three fully-grown male sabers, and five fully-grown females over there! You know how bad this could go!" Garrett was starring incredulously at me.

"Garrett, Diego, everyone, my daughter is dying back in the village, because she doesn't know if her twin brother will live or not! I can't delay this any longer. If no one's going to stand with me, I'll go alone."

"Alice, did you not here what Garrett said? You'll get yourself killed! What good would that be for Hunter?"

"Hummingbird, I'm coming with you."

I turned to Leah. Only she knew what that nickname meant to me, "Mammoths or Dinosaurs?"

"Mammoths."

"Okay. Anyone else with us?"

_MOTHER! _A voice cried out in my head. I winced.

_Hunter? Hunter, is that you?"_

_ Yes, it is. Are you guys coming yet? We need to get out of here!_

_ Yes, we're on our way. Are you hurt? What happened?_

_ We were ambushed. My head hurts, but I'll be okay. Roshan can hardly walk, but other than that, everyone's okay._

_ Can you tell me anything about the sabers that took you?_

_ Yah. One's an albino. White hair, white eyes, the works. That's Adrianna. And I recognized the three males. They're the ones that survived the confrontation you had with Soto. They're Uncle Diego's old pack. The females are named Charlotte, Carlotta, Ariel, Ariella, Athenadora, and Adrianna. The males are Oscar, Zeke, and Lenny. Oscar seems to be the leader. Lenny isn't nearly as fat as the book said he was. Oh-Carlotta noticed something. I'll talk to you later!_

_ Hold on, Hunter!_

As soon as Hunter's presence left me, I wobbled a bit and almost collapsed.

"Alice, what is it?"

"Hunter…just talked to me…with his mind." I muttered.

"What? Are they okay? What happened to them? Did he tell you anything?"

"Yah, a lot actually. I got names. Charlotte, Carlotta, Ariel, Ariella, Athenadora, Adrianna, Zeke, Oscar, and Lenny." I said the last three quite fast.

"Zeke, Oscar and Lenny?"

"Keep it down, Diego, we'll be discovered!" Garrett hissed, "They're just names!"

"No, they're not! What would you do if I told you your own brother took your children? And cousins! What if I told you my brother and cousins took your Garnett?"

"But Soto died, Diego." Manny whispered.

"Not Soto," Diego spat, "_Oscar_. My other brother."

I bowed my head, "Plan Delta?"

There was a chorus of "I'm in's"

"Alice. Is Roshan well? Is he hurt?"

"I think he is. Hunter said he can barely walk. But he'll be fine once we get to them," We all nodded to each other, and I called out, "STORM!"

A small herd of mammoths, a tiger, and a human charged the cats down. Two were trampled instantly and lay motionless. I knew at once that they were dead. I hated that we had to kill them, but it was for our children.

Leah took out the albino one with her tusk. She sailed into a tree. It became apparent to me that Adrianna was—_really_ young. She was barely two years old. I'd go to her later.

"CIRCLE!" Leah and I cried in unison. We loped around, forming a barrier between the cats and the kids.

"Diego. I guess you never showed any aversion to killing family members, did you?" The leader, Oscar, cried out, "Charlotte and Carlotta were my cousins!"

"You are no brother of mine, not after you tried to kill my friends!"

"We had to eat!"

"That's not the reason and you know it! Soto was out for revenge!"

"You brought the Mammoth to us! Your little rouge just meddled in affairs she ought not have meddled in!"

"It was going to happen anyway—that Soto would die! All over a human baby!"

"That human baby's Father's group wiped out half our pack! He wore our sister's skin for months! You watched him yourself! How much of an insult do you think that was to Cidney's memory? You killed his mate yourself, just for that!"

"I may be the reason she's dead, but I did not kill her! It was her love for her only son that finished her in the end! I did not make her jump over the falls, but I made her choose between both her and her son dying or the small chance that her son could live!"

"You sicken me, you pathetic excuse for a tiger! That little brat of yours does not disserve to carry my Father's name! You don't deserve to carry my Father's name!"

"Is that it, Oscar? _Is this how it's going to end?_ For what you've done to my family and friends, I won't hesitate to kill you. But like it or not, we're brothers in blood, and blood is thicker than water. I want to reconcile."

"How can we reconcile when you stood by and watched as your so-called 'friend' _murdered_ our brother in cold blood?"

"Alice did not murder him in cold blood. She killed him, because he was about to kill her. It was a fight to the death—Oscar, you know that! It was kill or be killed. Don't think for a second that Soto wouldn't have turned on you if you had succeeded or failed and he lived!"

"Soto was our brother. You said it yourself, blood is thinker than water!"

"Soto was a delusional schizophrenic! We all knew he wasn't right in the head after he lost his mate!"

"He lost his mate to the humans!"

"The humans did not kill Daisy!"

"Then who did?"

"I killed her!"

Oscar, Zeke, and Lenny recoiled.

"How could you do that, Diego?"

"Daisy was more insane than her mate! She was trying to kill her own cub! All because her cub was smaller than Soto had been at that age! Would you have let that continue? No, don't answer that, I know you would have sat back and done nothing, content to watch as an innocent cub was ripped to pieces and eaten by his own Mother!"


	6. Interlude Index of Characters

Index of Characters

Alesandra Clearwater – Derek Mitchell

Aryl and Hunter

Manfred – Ellie

Peaches and Melly

Diego – Leah

Jasper Diego (JD) and Allyson (Ally) and Sarah

Sidney – Ember

Unknown

Buck

Aspen – Garrett

James and Bethany (Beth) and Travis

Garnett

Crash

Eddie

Runar – Nadia

Roshan


	7. Myraneth Accolte

I stared at Diego in shock. He'd never told me _this._ And why would he? Diego was like that. We didn't talk about our kills. He was right. This was a dog-eat-dog world, the one I'd fallen into—kill or be killed. That was how it went.

Diego killed his sister-in-law to protect his nephew. I killed Soto to protect my brothers.

We killed Carlotta and Charlotte to protect our family.

I realized then that I was never meant to live in the time I was born in. Whatever had happened to me on my morning run that day, whatever magic had filled me and given me shape-shifting powers had chosen me for a reason.

A reason I couldn't even begin to comprehend.

And then, above Oscar's head, I catch a glimpse of _her._

I knew her to be the original _Myraneth Accolte_.

Then she is gone, and she takes Adrianna's body with her.

Adrianna doesn't have genetic albinism. She's a shifter, too. White and white are her colours, like Leah is silver and blue and Derek is black and green and I am black and violet. I'd never seen anything like her. I knew I had to follow her.

Right now.

_Time is going by_

_So much faster that I_

_Am starting to regret not saying all these things to you_

_You're never gonna be alone _

I was a black Pegasus with a wingspan of fifty feet. With an apologetic look for my family, I took off to follow the magic.

I saw _her_ again in a flash of colour. _She_ angled towards the ground, and I followed _her_.

Out of nowhere we were out of the clouds and soaring over a mountain range. Then we passed over a lake and _she_ landed on the beach.

_She _was cloaked in a veil of chestnut and gold hair, falling past her knees.

I changed to human and looked around. _I know this place._

"Do you see it, Alice?" _She _said in a clear voice, "Every story, every piece of fiction, every fantasy world is connected. Every though a human has is connected to the thoughts of those around them. You, being a girl who runs with wolves, understand that. I know you do, because I made you that way. Your tale, my sister-daughter, has only just begun. And it will be epic, one for the ages."

"Lady Myraneth—"

"Just Myraneth, please, Alice."

"Very well, Just Myraneth. I don't mean to sound blunt, but what are you?"

"You have read _The Lord of the Rings_, have you not?"

"Yes, I have."

"No, you haven't. At least, not the real story. Not the story with me in it."

"You were in it?"

"Yes, I am. My Father was Lord Elrond. Legolas Greenleaf was like a son to me. I believe you don't know that he had a twin sister, Princess Everlas Starleaf, and twelve more sisters and no brothers," Myraneth smiled, "I am going to tell you how you can save your daughter. She has been dealt a crippling blow to her soul, and your son feels it too."

"But she just has a physical wound—"

"No, she doesn't. You should have realized by now that your daughter was not meant to have survived long past birth. The reason for that was that you were not meant to survive past giving birth. Your parents gave you a choice that was not theirs to give. So now I will give you a choice. In order to save your daughter, you must either give up your life, or the life of the child you carry with you now. Let me remind you that if you give up your life, then the child within you will die as well."

"Wait—I'm pregnant again?"

"Yes, you are almost one month along. Sister-daughter, you understand that there is but one choice."

"I don't want to kill my third child in order to save my first!"

"So be it."


	8. Epilogue: What Happend After

There had to be balance. I understood that. But I could not choose between my children, especially one who I have not yet given life to.

And I knew that, as eight months later, I died in childbirth.

Leaving my second son, Jasper, to fend for himself in the unforgiving world I had grown up in. But in forfeiting my life, I gave him a sister. My second daughter, Annastasia.

I only managed to give their first and last names before _Myraneth Accolte Alice_, I, died the day I turned twenty.

**There you have it, everyone, the first part of the Tale of Three Brothers. Keep your eyes open for the continuation of Jasper and Annastasia's story.**

**As you all must know, I only own anything that you do not recognize.**


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